Alex Johnson

"I was hoping that I would get some of that stimulus money and here I am."

When President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law in February, Alex Johnson, of Silverthorne, had been out of work for a month. The 26-year-old plumbing assistant had been laid off from his job at a construction company that primarily built new homes and saw business dry up because of the recession.

Johnson had been working in construction in Colorado for about two years when he got laid off. He was born and raised in Burleson, Tx, and has a bachelors degree. After he got laid off, Johnson applied for more than 200 jobs with no luck. In May, he applied for a job as an installer with the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments, an agency that is administering the expanded low-income weatherization program funded through the Recovery Act. About 75 people applied for the $14/hour job and Johnson was hired. He started work June 4 and will soon be insulating homes and replacing aging furnaces.

"I was hoping that I would get some of that stimulus money and here I am."

The Northwest Colorado Council of Governments is preparing to do weatherization work in about 450 homes across 13 counties over the next year with Recovery Act funds. The organization plans to hire about five full-time workers and contract with several companies to do the work. Steve Getz, the agency's weatherization coordinator, said there is already a high level of interest from homeowners and renters for the services. His agency has already approved about 50 applications for the work, which will begin in early July.

Statewide, up to 10,000 homes will receive energy upgrades, including insulation, new appliances and/or windows and heating systems. The Governor's Energy Office is coordinating the program.

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